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Praise Doesn't Work
As a manager, I handed out praise like candy to my
employees. I thought it was the perfect way to make
them feel better about themselves and make them want
to work harder. Imagine my surprise when people's
responses didn't match my expectations. I got no thanks
for my candy handouts. In fact, most people seemed
embarrassed and even a little suspicious by my praise.
Why? What was I doing wrong? Isn't praise a good
thing? Don't people like to receive a pat on the back? Well, it turns out, they do, but it isn't praise
they're looking for. They're looking for something much more specific and meaningful. They're looking
for positive feedback, which is quite different
from praise.
Praise is often experienced by the receiver as a negative thing: people can feel uncomfortable,
skeptical, or even defensive. Heap praise on someone and he or she very well could be thinking:
The Perils of Praise: Giving Positive Feedback
M A N AG E M E N T A N D L E A D E R S H I P
